


Steal the Seconds

by yuuago



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: F/F, Quickies, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:44:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6492541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuago/pseuds/yuuago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's hard to get a few minutes of privacy around here. Somehow, they make time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steal the Seconds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laufey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laufey/gifts).



> Somewhat a sequel to [Boundary Lines](http://roesslyng.dreamwidth.org/62762.html).
> 
> Laufey - I hope this is to your tastes, my dear friend. <3

"Okay, buddy," Sigrun said, nudging Emil out of the tank. "Me and Tuuri need to have a talk, so I need you to keep watch out here for a while."

"Keep watch?" Emil asked, one eyebrow raising a bit. He glanced over his shoulder at the area they'd picked for camp. Open. Multiple ways to exit if they had to skidaddle, but guarded enough that nothing could creep up on them. The little scout had done well. It was as safe a place as they could find out here.

Everyone was outside, taking in the sun. It was the kind of morning that was both crisp and bright, sunny but not warm. Reynir and Mikkel had started tackling the laundry together, and seemed as if they would be at it for a while. Lalli, rather than creep under the bunk as usual, had curled up in a folding chair outside, settled himself in the most awkward position imaginable, and turned in for a cat–nap. Soon it would be time for Sigrun to take off, and to take Emil with her – but not yet. Not yet.

"Yeah. Just keep an eye on things. We're nice and cozy here, but you never know what can creep up." Sigrun smiled and held out her hand to him. "I can count on you, right?"

Now, _that_ got the result that she was looking for. Emil gripped her hand, looked her in the eyes. "Of course you can depend on me, Captain," he said, swelling with pride as if she'd given him the most important responsibility ever, rather than something that was, when you got right down to it, just routine.

"Great. Now, get to it. If anything happens, just give me a yell." Then she shoved him out the door, and closed it tight.

One second. Two. Then a hand closed around her own. She turned and saw Tuuri, who looked as if she didn't know whether to smile or laugh.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Tuuri glanced over at the door. Hesitated. "Do you think – "

"Nah, I doubt he's caught on." Emil was bright enough, and sometimes he was pretty good at reading people – or at least, decent enough at reading their weird little scout, which came in pretty handy. But Sigrun sure as hell wasn't Lalli, and Emil had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. That was the important part. One of the important parts, anyway.

The other important part was that four of them were outside.

That left the two of them inside. Alone.

At least for a while.

Sigrun didn't even have to mention that they only had so much time; it seemed Tuuri knew that just as well as she did, because without a word, Tuuri gripped her hand and, with a smile, pulled her away from the front windows and into the shadows of the interior.

Finally.

* * *

It was funny how it came to this, Sigrun thought. The two of them. Together. Sort of. As together as you could be at a time like this, in a place like this.

And to think, all along her plan had been to not get caught up in things, no matter how cute that fuzzy–headed skald was. Always tricky business, that; getting attached could cause problems at the best of times, and this was no ordinary milk run.

Stay friends, that's the ticket. Stay pals. Get close like _that_ , and it's fine, up to a point. But don't step over the line.

Somehow, it just didn't work out that way.

Then again, how could it? Well, when it was one–sided, sure, it was easy enough to stay professional about it. But when the person you've taken a liking to is mumbling your name in their sleep, that makes it a little harder.

Sigrun put up with it for a while. Held her tongue, kept herself in line, didn't say anything about it, no matter how she felt about it herself. Listened, late at night, to the sound of Tuuri muttering in her sleep, those low words that had managed to wake her up even if, by rights, she should have been able to drown it out, take it as white noise. Most of the time, sure, she couldn't make out the words, and even when she could, they weren't words she could understand. But that dreamy tone hanging over Tuuri's voice sure wasn't nothing.

"Oh, Sigrun...."

Well, then.

After a while, Sigrun let herself ease up a little. Let herself take things as they came. And if it so happened now and then that their hands touched, so what? If she slung her arm over Tuuri's shoulder, leaned on her, perched her chin on the top of her head as she looked down at whatever documents Tuuri had spread out before her, so what? Who would even be able to tell what she was up to, anyway? Who would catch on to that? Well, she hoped that Tuuri might figure it out eventually, but the rest? It was hardly any different from how she acted toward Emil. Wasn't it? 

Maybe a little. A tiny bit. A smidge. Just different enough.

It would be so much easier back home. There was room for this kind of thing at home. If you fancied someone, there were ways to make that clear, and ways to work your way around things like this. Now and then you could get enough privacy to have a real proper talk about it, at the very least. And if things got serious, there were ways to deal with that, too.

But out here... well. It was different. And she had a duty.

It didn't take too long, though. Not too long. Drove her nuts in the meantime, sure, but that Tuuri was a bright one, and a sneaky little weasel besides, and it wasn't too long before she took the hint, which was more than a hint, because when you got right down to it, Sigrun might as well have been shouting. Subtle didn't come so easy, not to her.

One moment. That was all they needed together. Not in private, there was no such thing as privacy here, but it was good enough. One moment, that was all. They were sitting close to each other as they talked, head to head, and everyone else was caught up with other things. Sigrun leaned in close, an arm around Tuuri's shoulders as she watched her trace the map, listened to what she said her cousin had reported.

Then Tuuri stopped, and her voice quieted, her head tilting just a bit closer.

"Sigrun, I – um. I know what you're doing."

Well, that sent Sigrun's mind going off in another direction. She tucked the information she'd been given into a corner of her brain, and changed track. "Do you?" she asked, glancing around as much as she could without actually turning much. Listened. Waited. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to what they were saying. Good.

"Yes. I know _exactly_ what you're doing when you get... close. Like this." Tuuri took in a deep breath, like she needed to brace herself for what she was going to say next. "And I'm okay with it."

"Good. Because I'm fond of you, you know."

"...I'm glad. I really like you a lot."

"Yeah, I noticed. You weren't exactly quiet about it."

"What?"

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

Well. She sure caught on to _that_ one fast. One second, Tuuri was thinking that over, taking account of what, exactly, what might mean. The next, her eyes widened, and she blushed bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears.

"...Oh," she said. "I, um. How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Sigrun tilted her head. Just a fraction. Just enough to press a quick kiss to her cheek. _That_ made her blush even more, and there was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips to go with it. By the looks of it, she didn't mind that the secret was out. Not so much. Cute.

But. Well. One second, two. Then, with reluctance, Sigrun slowly drew away. Sat up straighter. Put some distance between the two of them, just enough to cool things down. "We can talk about this later," she said. "For now..." A nod to the map. "Where did he say was the best place to head after this next one?

All business. And that, well, Tuuri understood it well enough. She straightened herself up, and took up the map in her hands again, and continued as if nothing had happened, even if there was still a flush of red across her cheeks.

"There was one place that he pointed out as especially clear – down this street here, and then...."

* * *

There were other moments after that. After that tiny fraction of time. Moments when they managed to sneak kisses. Times when they took one another's hand, slices of seconds when no one was watching. And the rest? Well, if she and Tuuri sat a little closer together now and then, so what? Did it matter?

Nah. Not a damn bit.

But it was too little. It wasn't enough. Sigrun wanted more – they both did – but it was bloody impossible to even get five minutes of privacy in a place like this.

Then the _plan_ came along. It was awesome, it was great, and if it worked they were sure to get five minutes at least. Maybe even half an hour, if they were lucky. All it called for was a safe place to park, and a bright chilly day. And wouldn't you know it, it wasn't that long before a day like that came around.

* * *

Alone. Finally.

They stepped into the dark. With the door closed, there was no chance of anyone seeing them. Good.

"So..." Tuuri looked up at her. The expression on her face was almost nervous, but not quite, as if she wasn't sure where she wanted to start. And that, as far as Sigrun was concerned, was fair enough.

"So," Sigrun echoed. How to go about this? She thought about it for a moment as her hands came up, cupping Tuuri's round face, gently bidding her to tilt her head upward. And that Tuuri did, easy enough, after taking a moment to press a kiss against her palm. Cute. "We don't have a lot of time here," Sigrun said.

"That's okay. We can make the best of it." Something slipped across Tuuri's lips. It was that mischievous, mutinous smile that she had seen on her a few times before. "But you're going to have to bend down if this is going to work."

"...What?"

A hand came up. Grabbed the front of her coat and pulled her down. As their mouths crashed together, it was all Sigrun could do to stop herself from laughing.

It was even harder to hold that laugh in when Tuuri shoved her against the wall of the tank and pinned her there with far more force than Sigrun had expected. Pressed her flat against it. Held her. Hands came up to work at the zipper on her coat, bring it down, and Sigrun grinned against Tuuri's mouth. _Well_.

"Got some nerve, don't you," she muttered as the kiss broke.

"I – um, sorry, I just –"

"Shh, shh. I'm not complaining." And she didn't complain as those sneaky hands came sliding along her hips, then upward. "Just surprised."

"Well, I–" Tuuri paused, looking like she was thinking something over. "I've wanted to do this for a long time. That's all."

"We haven't known each other _that_ long."

"Ever since I met you."

Well, Sigrun thought. Fair enough. It wasn't as if she couldn't say the same. "That's fine with me." Another kiss to her mouth before she could even get the rest out – and that was Tuuri going up on her toes for it. Sigrun slumped a little against the wall, dipping her head a bit. Might as well make it easier on her. Then again, Tuuri seemed to like the height difference between them, inconvenience be damned. And _that_ was all right.

Sigrun didn't say anything about it. Just let Tuuri do as she liked. Pulled away just enough to shrug off her coat now that the pretence was gone, glad that she hadn't gone so far as to put on all the straps and buckles and gloves and bullshit. Then she settled against the wall again, and let Tuuri press against her there again, pin her there, holding her firmly.

She'd expected kisses, sure. And lots of them. She sank her bare fingers into Tuuri's hair and returned that so–eager kiss and opened her mouth, let her in. But those hands, now... Sigrun let out a gasp as one of those sneaky hands slid up, cupped her breast, slid over the curve. And that gasp melted into a muffled laugh. Well, she thought, sliding her tongue into Tuuri's mouth, if that's where you want to go, that's fine by me. The thought came easily enough, but she didn't want to say it. Didn't bother. Would have to break the kiss for that, wouldn't she, and she wasn't about to do _that_.

Tuuri seemed to know what she was about, anyway. There was an insistence to her that spoke to more than just frustration, more than just wanting a quick moment in five minutes of privacy. The way she held her there, head tilted upward, kissing her firm and hard and insistent, hands sliding all over her body, touching _everywhere_. She nudged Sigrun's feet apart, slid her thigh between her legs, dropped her hands to Sigrun's hips and pulled her tight against her.

Well, the moan escaped whether Sigrun wanted it to or not, muffled against Tuuri's mouth. Oh, hell, she thought, grinding against her, trying to keep herself in check, trying not to make too much noise. Why not. Why not... She thought back to the words whispered in the dark, and tightened her fingers in the short strands of Tuuri's hair. When this is all over, she thought, I'll have to keep in touch with you. Somehow.

When her mouth was finally free, Sigrun tilted her head back, sucked in a deep breath of air. Breathed in the shadowy interior of the tank and tried to stop herself from sliding down the wall. Her legs seemed to think that jelly was an appropriate form to take. But Tuuri held her up well enough, kept her steady, or at least pressed to the wall as if she'd tacked her there, and took the opportunity to slide damp lips and tongue along her jaw, along her ear, making her gasp.

"Are you okay?" There was a grin in Tuuri's voice. She didn't sound concerned at all.

"...Yeah. I, uh. Yep. Definitely fine over here – mmph!" Mouth over her mouth, a quick but firm kiss. The message was clear enough: stop talking. And while Sigrun wasn't about to take orders from anyone, she certainly could agree with that... suggestion.

Especially with the way that Tuuri's hands were moving.

Especially considering where one of them was moving _to_.

Oh, fuck, Sigrun thought as she felt Tuuri's hand at her waist, at her hips, as Tuuri moved enough to get that hand between them. Get her trousers open. She wrapped her fingers around Tuuri's hair and tried to stay quiet as her mind raced. Did they have enough time for this? Maybe. But –

She broke the kiss. "Wait," she said against Tuuri's mouth. "Hold up –"

"I'm sorry! I–"

"No, no, shh, wait." Sigrun let one of her hands drop, placed it over Tuuri's, holding it in place, stopping it from pulling away. "Wait. I was just thinking." A quick kiss, then she pulled away, just enough to look at her. "There might not be enough time for both of us to –"

"It's okay." Tuuri dipped her head, spoke by Sigrun's ear, sounding relieved that it was just a matter of time, rather than second thoughts. "I know. It's fine."

"...You're sure?" Even as Sigrun asked it, the hand resumed its work. Getting her trousers open. Sliding inside. She lifted her hand to coil her arms around Tuuri's shoulders. Closed her eyes. "Because it's not fair, you getting me worked up like this –"

"You're getting 'worked up' more quickly than I would. We don't have time. It's okay."

"Well –" The words faltered as Sigrun felt those fingers, felt contact. Searching, touching, sliding down, sliding in, then sweeping upward, slow and slick. Oh, fuck, she thought, and forgot for a moment what she was going to say.

"...Well?"

"Uh." Her eyes flicked open for a moment. She stared at the ceiling and tried to think. Oh. Right. "...Next time."

"Okay." A little laugh by her ear, warm breath fluttering over it, no doubt on purpose. That sneaky little weasel knew exactly what she was doing. "Next time."

* * *

It wasn't exactly easy to stay quiet. Silence on the job is one thing, Sigrun thought. Silence when the woman you're attracted to has her hand down your trousers is another thing altogether. Sigrun clung to Tuuri with one hand, muffled herself with the other, biting down hard on her sleeve to stop herself from moaning.

It wasn't fucking easy _at all_ , and it was all because of Tuuri. The shape of their bodies as they pressed together. The press of her mouth along Sigrun's jaw. The sensation of her lips brushing against her ear – how the hell had she known that would drive her crazy?

And then there was the work of her fingers down below. Pressing, sliding, slick, slipping deep into her, then out. Slow movements in steady, even circles, but not gentle. No. There was pressure behind that, firm and decisive, and as Sigrun clamped down on the fabric of her sleeve she found herself glad that she didn't have to say anything, glad that Tuuri could figure out on her own what she liked, how she wanted it, take direction from her responses rather than from words. _Saying_ it was all right; Sigrun didn't mind that, was never shy about letting someone know what she wanted. But it was nice, now and then, to be with someone who could read you without needing to hear anything at all.

Well, Sigrun thought, she _does_ like to read, doesn't she, this girl. And as the pads of quick fingers slid over her clit again, her train of thought went off the rails, and she stopped thinking. Just took in that sensation, and Tuuri's mouth on her ear, and the fingers sliding inside her. The fabric muffling her mouth. The uncomfortable way she stood, pinned against the wall with her feet apart. Tuuri's body pressed against her. Tuuri's fingers. Oh, fuck –

She came with a sharp moan, cut off, muffled. Too loud, even so. She didn't give a damn. And it went on, and on, the vibrations throbbing through her, coaxed out by Tuuri's hands until she was done.

Sigrun slumped against the wall. Blinked her eyes open. Took in a few gulps of air. And when Tuuri tilted her head to look at her, she cupped her face, and stole a long, deep kiss.

The kiss broke. She took another. Then another. Finally, a pause. "If we're quick, maybe I could –"

"Shhh. No. Next time, remember?" Another kiss. A smile. "You can return the favour next time."

That grin on her face, Sigrun thought. She looks so damn satisfied with herself. "Okay," she said. There was a heat on her cheeks – she was _not_ blushing. Just afterglow. That was it. "Next time."

There would be a next time, Sigrun thought. I'll make sure of it.

* * *

A glance at her watch told her that there was just enough time. Just enough to get herself sorted out. Clean herself up, adjust things a little. Run a damp rag over her face, breath in, wait for that damn redness – _not_ blushing – to go away. Slide fingers through her hair, make it look as it had been before, not like anybody had been messing with it.

Tuuri watched her as she put everything back on. Coat. Gloves. Straps and belts and buckles. "So," she said. "What were we talking about?"

"What?"

"You said that you had to talk to me." Tuuri moved to take her usual seat at the desk. Shuffled through some papers, as if that might give her an answer. "So, what were we talking about?"

"...Good question." Not that Emil would ask. Probably. But he might. Or one of the others might. And even if the two of them could bullshit an answer on the spot, it'd be better if it matched. "I was asking for your opinion on... something. I dunno. Any ideas?"

Tuuri unfolded the map. Stared at it for a moment. "'You were reconsidering which site to check," she said. "There's the one you told us you had planned to go check out, but there's another one nearby that could be just as good."

"And that took us half an hour?" Sigrun said, raising an eyebrow. She stepped over, looking at the map over Tuuri's shoulder. "I don't buy it."

"...Then we started talking about where to go after you come back."

"Did we decide on anything?"

"...Hmm. No." Tuuri smiled. "And that's why it took so long. We couldn't agree."

Sigrun ran her fingers through her hair. Stared at the map. It was bullshit, but it was simple bullshit. Good enough. Easy to remember. Their stories would match, at least. "Works for me," she said finally. "Okay. I'll see you in a while, then."

"Wait–"

A hand on her arm. Sigrun stopped. Turned to look at her again. "Wha –" She didn't have a chance to get the whole 'what' out before she found herself jerked down again, grabbed by the collar of her jacket. Tuuri's mouth muffled the rest.

What could she do about that, except laugh and kiss back?

"Stay safe," were the soft words murmured against her lips just before Tuuri drew away, moving to take up the map and fold it, as if she hadn't done anything at all.

"Don't worry about me." Sigrun flashed her a grin. "I'll be just fine." A pause. "Besides, I owe you for next time."

That time, it was Tuuri's turn to blush. "...Of course. Next time."

And that was that, as far as Sigrun was concerned. A promise.

She pushed open the door. Took in the brightness of the sharp sun against the grey landscape. Breathed in. The air smelled good. Promising. Cold.

Out front, her partner was having a one–sided conversation with the little mage, who was dozing and wouldn't have understood a word of it anyway. She made her way over and clapped Emil on the shoulder. "No problems?" she asked.

"All clear." He rose, looking up at her, suddenly all business. Good. There was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes, but if he wanted to know just what was so important that they needed silence to talk about it, he didn't ask. Instead, he simply said, "So, we're leaving now?"

"Sure are." One last glance back at the tank. There was a shadow in the window. Sigrun grinned. Waved. Saw that shadow wave back, slowly, almost shy about it. "Let's go."

She left with her pal by her side. Though for a moment, and definitely not for the first time, that it would have been nice to have a bit more time in that tank. More time with Tuuri. Make it last. Grab enough minutes to turn it around on her. But it was daylight, and they had a job to do.

Sigrun took her thoughts and feelings and put them away, locked them deep inside herself. Squared her shoulders and stepped out into the ruined world, along the cracked roads, with Emil half a step behind her. That could wait, all of it, for the right time and place.

Next time, she thought. Next time.


End file.
